Black Hand

The Black Hand was a loose organization of Italian-American racketeers in New York City that existed from the 1880s to the 1930s. The Black Hand originated in Naples, Italy during the 1750s, and it spread to the United States during the 1880s as a result of Italian immigration. By 1900, the Black Hand had established themselves in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Scranton, San Francisco, and Detroit, and around 90% of Italian immigrants were threatened with Black Hand extortion by 1907. The Black Hand used physical threats, arson, kidnapping, and murder to achieve its goals, and it used terror tactics to make money. It was eliminated by the 1930s, being weakened after the 1929 murder of Frankie Yale.